"Because This Is My First Life" vs"We Married As a Job"?

WARNING: SPOILERS!

The following article contains spoilers from dramas: Because This Is My First Life and Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu (We Married as a Job).

How would you feel if you made your first birthday wish on your 20th birthday?

How would you feel if you realized the people around you are the same ones who would take you down?

We get to witness how this travesty unfolds as  Yoon Ji-Ho (Jung So Min) becomes Nam Se-Hee’s (Lee Min Ki) roommate in the tvN show, Because This Is My First Life.

I would like to warn readers, mild spoilers are going to be mentioned.

Yoon Ji-Ho is a timid assistant writer. At 30-years-old, her dream of having her original work made into a drama is about to happen.

Little did she know that her family’s current affairs are going to force her out of her own home and into an impromptu search of a place to stay.

Nam Se-Hee, on the other hand, is a successful app developer whose life revolves around his home, his recycling, and his cat. He is in need of a roommate to help pay the mortgage so he can retire early.

So how is this show different from the Japanese drama We Married as a Job?

First, let's identify the biggest similarity. The leads, Nam Se-Hee and Tsuzaki Hiramasa are both Information Technology (I.T.) professionals. Although one works with apps, and the other is a coder, their needs to be orderly take a priority in their lives. Both are bachelors who see relationships as a complication more than anything else.

The difference lies in the female protagonist. 

Moriyama Mikuri finds herself as a housekeeper because of Japan's job market. She graduates with a degree where no one is hiring. Ji-Ho's finds herself quitting her job due to sexual assault and differing work ideologies.

Moriyama is idealistic, she has a future where she will be cherished by an employer. Ji-Ho is grabbing onto a frail rope hoping she doesn't have to return home permanently and be labelled a failure by her overbearing father.

As much as I enjoyed We Married for a Job, I  find moments in Because This Is My First Life to be more poignant and realistic. The friendships, filial obligations, and resolutions between one’s goals and feelings towards life, success, and contentment seem to be more tangible in comparison to the J-drama.

I acknowledge there are many similarities between the J-drama and K-drama that the plot may seem contrived or rehashed. However, I've enumerated several points that might make you think twice before skipping this gem.

1. Straightforward Story-Telling

The audience easily identifies with the characters. The struggle is real! Whether it’s the feeling of being boxed in by parental perceptions or how and where a person should be in their professional and personal life, the audience can empathize and sympathize with the different characters on screen. Moriyama had supportive parents. Ji-Ho is no more than a silhouette in her family's life.

2. I Need a Little Help from My Friends

No man is an island in this show. Despite Nam Se-Hee’s sterile personality, his boss and friend, Ma Song-Goo (Park Byung Eun) stands by him. In the same vein, Ji-Ho finds herself propped by her friends, Woo Su-Ji (Lee Som) and Yang Ho-Rang (Kim Ga Eun) especially after she quit her job. 

In We Married As A Job, Tsuzaki's co-workers are his "friends". But little did he know one of them is evaluating him to be downsized from the company. The other? He started having affections for Moriyama, prompting Tsuzaki to admit he has feelings for his live-in housekeeper.

3. Unconventional Problem Solving

A mix-up is a mix-up. Did they cry about it? No. Se-Hee and Ji-Ho were adult enough to live together without having preconceived notions of each other. As long as they fulfilled their obligations to each other, they felt there is no foul done. This mature take on a relationship severely reduces the eye-rolling one would get from a straight-up rom-com.

The J-drama is similar to this unconventional problem solving with the only variation being seen in the employer-employee relationship Tsuzaki has with Moriyama. It seems like Kazami's involvement prompts Tsuzaki to see Moriyama in a different light. 

While Se-Hee... he just wants a means to an end. Will he ever perceive Ji-Ho differently? Or is he already there?

4. Their Friends Have Real Life Problems Too

I give credit to the chakkaniym (writers) of Because This Is My First Life. The side characters seem to be flushed out characters rather than two-dimensional characters whose main purpose is to fill in airtime. Su-Ji wants to be a CEO but she’s stuck being a salary-person because of her gender. Song-Goo, despite being a successful CEO, can’t admit he’s a failure when it comes to love. Ho-Rang is a prisoner to her dream of being a housewife. However, she doesn’t tell this to her on-and-off-again clueless boyfriend, Shim Won-Seok (Kim Min Seok).

I am not saying Numata Yoritsuna's issues or the complex relationship between Kazami Ryouta and Tsuchiya Yuri were shallow. However, I feel a deeper connection between the struggles of these side characters in Because This Is My First Life in comparison to We Married For a Job.

5. Simple Pleasures

One thing that resonates strongly in these early episodes are the characters just wanting to be content. Whether it is watching the Arsenal in a game of soccer or a can of beer at the end of the day, they’re no different than anyone else. They want to let their guards down and be themselves.

I always felt Moriyama and Tsuzaki made concerted efforts to separate their lives despite being "married". It is understandable based on Japanese norms and customs but it made their relationship look painfully awkward to the outsider looking in.

6. The Elephant In The Room

Did I mention possible romance between Se-Hee and Ji-Ho? Let’s hope so…. I mean, Because It’s Their First Life after all.

I am glad Ji-Ho and Moriyama are similar in this manner. As women, they break the stereotype and  make the first move in the "relationship". I feel the difference between the two characters, however,  is Moriyama introduces Tsuzaki to emotions he was afraid to feel. She was experienced. Ji-Ho's initiated kiss was prompted by impulse and innocence. It's too early to tell why Se-Hee seems to be guarded with his emotions regardless of gender, but I anticipate its unfolding.

Let me know if I've convinced you to watch this drama despite watching Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu. After all, all stories have been written before.

Images are courtesy of tvN, Soompi, Viki, and fans of Because It’s My First Life.